The Plain City Advocatehttp://plaincity-advocate.com
Sat, 03 Dec 2016 14:27:05 +0000en-UShourly1https://wordpress.org/?v=4.5.3Newspapers, the answer to fake newshttp://plaincity-advocate.com/opinion/4698/newspapers-the-answer-to-fake-news
http://plaincity-advocate.com/opinion/4698/newspapers-the-answer-to-fake-news#respondSat, 03 Dec 2016 14:27:05 +0000http://plaincity-advocate.com/?p=4698“If a nation expects to be ignorant and free … it expects what never was and never will be.” — Thomas Jefferson

There is good news on fake news.

As you doubtless know, the proliferation thereof has people fretting. President Obama has dubbed it a threat to democracy. And there is a rising demand for social media outlets like Facebook and Twitter, often used as platforms for these viral untruths, to take corrective action.

But the good news is that anyone who wishes to avoid fake news can do so easily. There is, in fact, a news platform that specializes in gathering and disseminating non-fake news. So committed are its people to this mission that some have been known to risk, and even to lose, their lives in the process.

Granted, this platform is imperfect — sometimes it is guilty of error or even bias. But hardly ever will you find it trafficking in intentional falsehoods.

So what, you ask, is this miracle medium? Well, it’s called a “newspaper.” Maybe you’ve heard of it.

Ahem.

Yes, there is a point here, and it is this: the facts are knowable — and easily so. So the proliferation of fake news should tell you something.

Before we go further, though, a definition of terms. Fake news is not to be confused with satirical news as seen on shows like “Saturday Night Live” and “Last Week Tonight.” Fake news is not a humorous comment on the news. Rather, fake news seeks to supplant the news, to sway its audience into believing all sorts of untruths and conspiracy theories, the more bizarre, the better.

There is, for instance, the “story” that opponents of Donald Trump beat a homeless veteran to death. Didn’t happen.

There is also the “story” that Hillary Clinton molested children in the backroom of a Washington, D.C., pizzeria. Also didn’t happen.

The New York Times recently did a case study of a fake news story. It originated with Eric Tucker, a marketing executive in Austin, who posted pictures of buses he claimed had been used to transport paid protesters to an anti-Trump rally. This blew up on Facebook and Twitter. By the next day, Trump himself was tweeting about “professional protesters, incited by media.”

But this, too, didn’t happen. The buses had, in fact, been hired by a software company for a conference. Asked why he didn’t check this, Tucker told the Times, “I’m also a very busy businessman and I don’t have time to fact-check everything that I put out there.”

Can we get a Bronx cheer right here for “citizen journalism?”

As noted above, real journalists regularly produce real news that is easily accessible. So the rise of fake news speaks not to the unavailability of the real thing, but, rather to a preference for the phony one. It is no coincidence fake news almost always seems to find greatest purchase among conservatives, or that the stories it tells almost always seem to validate their sense of their own victimhood.

But the president is right — these lies are eating like termites through the foundations of democracy, a process likely to accelerate as Obama is succeeded by one of the chief national distributors of this political manure. The right wing has led us so far down the rabbit hole of its alt-right alt-reality that we now face the very real prospect of military and policy choices hinged on things “people are saying” or tweets from those who are too “busy” to check facts.

One recalls what Jefferson said about the incompatibility of ignorance and freedom — and one wonders how long we have. Fake news drives a fake worldview. But the decisions made from that will be real.

Leonard Pitts Jr., winner of the 2004 Pulitzer Prize for commentary, is a columnist for the Miami Herald, 3511 N.W. 91 Ave., Doral, FL 33172. Readers may write to him via email at lpitts@miamiherald.com.

’Tis the season when family and friends gather together to eat, give thanks and celebrate the holidays. As you begin your holiday shopping and event planning, I encourage you to buy gifts and supplies within your community which support the diversity and quality of Ohio’s locally made and grown products.

When you buy local, you are supporting our state’s businesses and farmers while keeping your hard earned dollars in the community where you live, work and play. Every dollar spent on Ohio products reinvests in your local economy and allows local businesses to grow and hire more of your friends and neighbors for quality jobs.

Buying local not only ensures that your hometown economy remains strong, but that downtown shopping districts and Main Streets stay vibrant and unique. In turn, local vendors help us find thoughtful, one-of-a-kind gifts for our loved ones.

Many specialty retailers focus on Ohio-made or Ohio-grown products and gifts. If you live in an area with a limited selection, large retailers carry many of these items as well. From fresh food, wine and baked goods to crafts, artisan soaps and lotions, you will likely find Ohio products in each aisle of your favorite grocery store.

Programs like the Ohio Department of Agriculture’s “Ohio Proud” program are designed to draw consumers’ attention to products that are made, grown or processed in Ohio.

Our website, ohioproud.org, lets you learn more about Ohio Proud products and where to buy them. Looking for Ohio Proud and other locally made products is a great way to tackle your holiday shopping list while giving back to your local community.

For information on Ohio Proud products and companies, visit www.ohioproud.org.

The Lady Pioneers have a collection of veterans back playing bigger roles, but the squad also has a handful of freshman who are going to have a big say in just how good the team is going to be this winter.

“I’m excited about this team,” Alder coach Bob Wehner said. “We have four returning letterwinners and a group of freshmen that are going to play a lot. The freshman had a lot of success in seventh and eighth grade and we’re going to use them a lot.”

The Pioneers are off to a strong start going 3-1, with the lone setback coming in the form of a one-point lot. But knowing a lot will be riding on a bunch of inexperienced varsity players, Wehner is expecting a series of ups and downs.

“We’re going to take our lumps, probably more in the first half of the season,” he said. “But I think we’ll continue to get better and better as the season goes along.”

Perhaps the biggest issue the team has had in the first week of the season has come in the turnover department. The squad is turning it over way more than the coach would like, but he understands that his team is working more these days on its defense than the offense.

“We’re still learning to play with each other and learning each others game. We’ve made some bad decisions with the ball up to this point but I think we’ll work it out. We’re playing at a little slower pace on offense, but we’ve really been working on becoming a good defensive team.

“We’ve got good athletes and good speed. I think we can be a pretty good offensive team. We’ll start spending more time on our offense once we get the defense straightened out.”

With a collection of youngsters on the roster, Alder is really looking to its older players to provide the leadership. That starts with returnees Lily Hess, Emily Davis, McKenna Huff and Peyton Mast.

Despite so many new faces the Lady Pioneers expect to be competitive in their final season in the Mid-Ohio Athletic Conference Red Division. The league has some pretty talented teams including Marion Pleasant, North Union and Buckeye Valley but Wehner thinks his team will be able to challenge those teams later in the season.

“We’re going to grow as a team,” he said. “I really like this group of girls.”

Pioneers senior Lily Hess has returned to lead a young Jonathan Alder team this winter.

http://plaincity-advocate.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/web1_JAHS-hess-1.jpgPioneers senior Lily Hess has returned to lead a young Jonathan Alder team this winter. Jay Gehres | Gehres Photography

In honor of Veterans Day, the students used their dictionary to look up the word veteran after they received their dictionary.

Aided by a grant from the Elks National Foundation, almost 900 dictionaries were distributed by the Elks to third-graders in all of the elementary schools in the Union County school systems.

According to Kermit Morse III the Dictionary Project manager, “The Elks feel that a child cannot do his or her best work without a dictionary and that is why we do this annual project.”

This is the eighth year for the dictionary project.

Third grade students at Monroe Elementary School were recently presented their own dictionary compliments of the Marysville Elks No. 1130.

http://plaincity-advocate.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/web1_Dictionary1953piccol.jpgThird grade students at Monroe Elementary School were recently presented their own dictionary compliments of the Marysville Elks No. 1130. Contributed photo | Marysville Elks

Third grade students at Plain City Elementary School were recently presented their own dictionary compliments of the Marysville Elks No. 1130.

http://plaincity-advocate.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/web1_Dictionary1966piccol.jpgThird grade students at Plain City Elementary School were recently presented their own dictionary compliments of the Marysville Elks No. 1130. Contributed photo | Marysville Elks

Staff report

]]>http://plaincity-advocate.com/news/education/4692/third-graders-receive-dictionaries-from-marysville-elks/feed0Ready to rollhttp://plaincity-advocate.com/sports/4689/ready-to-roll
http://plaincity-advocate.com/sports/4689/ready-to-roll#respondSat, 03 Dec 2016 14:05:10 +0000http://plaincity-advocate.com/?p=4689The Jonathan Alder girls bowling team wasn’t happy with its ninth-place finish in last year’s Division II state championship meet, that alone speaks volumes on how far the Lady Pioneers program has come in such a short period of time.

Being one of the best teams in the state has become the norm, the team is now looking to reach higher this season.

Alder returns five of the six bowlers who competed at the the state tournament a year ago. With another year under their belts coach Rusty Walter’s team has raised its level of expectation.

“This is a fun, has talented, competitive upperclassmen who have been bowling for a while together and enjoy bowling together,” the coach said.

“Yes, we have state tournament expectations this year. The ladies were more than disappointed in their ninth-place finish last season and want to improve that finish. Our goals are to defend our (Mid-Ohio Athletic Conference) championship, defend our district championship and make our third trip in a row to the state championships.”

The Pioneers have one of the best bowlers in the entire state in Heimlich and a solid performer in Fox leading the way.

“The seniors Mackenzie and Trisha will lead the team in the setup and anchors spots,” the coach said. “Mackenzie is one of the state’s top girl bowlers, is a great powerful player who is being recruited by Urbana University, Wright State University and Ohio State University.

“Mack bowled all summer and has worked on her game a lot for this upcoming season. As Mack continues to work on her spare game she can be as good as any young lady in Ohio. Trisha just keeps improving and improving each time out, she has a nice bowling game and hooks it up pretty good.”

Those two along with the other returnees give the Pioneers a solid nucleus.

“We’re expecting solid years from Rena and Rachel. Rena, our lone lefty has a nice down and in game, getting her to match up equipment to the lanes is crucial to her success. Rachel just gets better and better we expect some great scores from her this year. This will be Hallie’s (Nichols) first full time year on the varsity, she works a lot on her game and her steady improvement all season will help the team’s overall success this season.”

The biggest thing that cost the Pioneers at the state tournament was spare conversions. The team left too many frames open, costing the squad a chance to finish much higher. That has been a major emphasis this year.

“Spares, spares, spares and more spares,” Walter said. “All of us who bowl a lot can toss our fair share of strikes, having confidence in shooting single pin spares is another thing. These ladies can strike, and they strike a lot. If they work on their spare game and it continues to improve they will be tough to beat. When the lane conditions are hard and spares win the games, we will have the confidence to do it.

“Last season the ladies won five tournament championships, everybody is going to be gunning for them this year. We are improved, stronger and tournament tested from last year. Keeping them focused each week to the task at hand will be the coaching staff’s goal.

“The girl’s team has a target on them and we’ll find out if they can step up and wear that target with pride.”

Jonathan Alder welcomes the return of senior Mackenzie Heimlich. She’s one of the top bowlers in Ohio and will be counted on to lead a talented Pioneers team this winter.

http://plaincity-advocate.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/web1_ja-mackenzie-heimlich-2016.jpgJonathan Alder welcomes the return of senior Mackenzie Heimlich. She’s one of the top bowlers in Ohio and will be counted on to lead a talented Pioneers team this winter. Jay Gehres | Gehres Photography

Patients sign in at new kiosks at the main MacIvor patient registration desk and in the hospital laboratory, and are strongly encouraged to also register for an additional, optional process that provides protection against identity theft and the creation of duplicate records.

Help is available, if needed, for patients entering information on touch-screens at kiosks. Patients can see their wait time and status on monitors nearby. This streamlined system has been shown to reduce wait times by as much as 80 percent at various hospitals.

In completing the registration process with a staff member, patients are also encouraged to spend less than 30 seconds to register their medical identity by inserting a fingertip into a scanner registration device. It does not store a fingerprint, but creates a unique electronic identifier or code from primary markers on the fingertip. On subsequent visits, then, a quick scan of the patient’s fingertip will verify identity.

This new technology is focused exclusively on protecting patients against medical identity theft. According to an independent study by Ponemon Institute in 2015, theft of this kind may cost a patient more than $13,000 to resolve. And thieves could also access personal health information, jeopardizing privacy, and that is something Memorial takes very seriously.

“The addition of these electronic registration technologies is a natural step in our ongoing efforts to create the best patient experience possible,” says Victor Trianfo, DO, Chief Medical Officer at Memorial Health. “From the time our patients arrive, we want our processes to best focus on their needs.”

This new technology is provided by CrossChx, a Columbus, Ohio based provider of healthcare information technology designed to create operational efficiencies and enhance patient experience.

Memorial Health is an independent health system based in Marysville, which includes Memorial Hospital’s main campus and satellite outpatient locations including Memorial City Gate Medical Center; Memorial Gables — a skilled nursing facility; Memorial Medical Group — a network of more than 20 physicians and mid-level providers with office locations throughout Marysville, Plain City, and Urbana; and the Memorial Health Foundation.

]]>http://plaincity-advocate.com/news/4687/memorial-hospital-implements-electronic-patient-check-in/feed0Alder boys ready to gohttp://plaincity-advocate.com/sports/4685/alder-boys-ready-to-go
http://plaincity-advocate.com/sports/4685/alder-boys-ready-to-go#respondSat, 03 Dec 2016 14:00:36 +0000http://plaincity-advocate.com/?p=4685The Jonathan Alder boys bowling team has tasted success over the years, but this year’s team is younger and will need to put in the work if the Pioneers are going to get back to being one of the area’s top programs.

“The boys look pretty good,” coach Rusty Walter said. “We return three starters and key reserves from last year’s team. The key factor for this year’s team is if they let us coach them up, they listen and they respond.

“The boys today know what the boys from the past have done, and they want to be the next team to advance to the state championships. This year’s team doesn’t have two or three super strong players, we have a really good anchor bowler (senior Zach Otto) who can string strikes and smash the pins, (senior Nathan) Sullivan, (sophomore Andrew) Clark, (junior Joshua) Schrock are all very solid players who just need to gain that confidence in pressure situations. This young group will improve, gain confidence, and get better each week by postseason tournament time. They should be ready to compete for a league title, league tournament title and run at the district.”

Alder will lean heavily on Otto. He’s a multi-sport athlete who brings a competitive nature with him every day.

“Zach Otto is our No. 1 bowler, he can compete with any junior or senior in the state. He’s a three-sport athlete (golf, bowling and baseball) is super competitive, practices a lot and really enjoys bowling.

Seniors Nathan Sullivan and Brandon Nichols along with the abilities of Schrock and Clark have the potential to make the Pioneers a major player in big time tournaments.

“Sully is a fourth-year bowler and starter who just rips the cover off the ball. Brandon is making tremendous improvements each week getting stronger better balance and will be in the starting lineup and tournament rotation. Joshua Schrock has been a key reserve the past two seasons and will be a key varsity bowler this season. We’re expecting a breakout year for Andrew, he bowls a lot, is a super smart kid and the coaches have challenged him to work on his spare game.

Freshman Jake Schrock is also a member of the varsity team. Key reserve players include junior Darren Maynard, sophomore Alex Huggins and freshmen Luke Honigford and Trenton Parks.

The Pioneers will once again play in the top tournaments against the top teams in the state. The team has a goal of getting to the district and would love to make it to the state tournament, but the coach knows that would be quite an accomplishment.

“Advancing to the state bowling championships is no easy task,” Walter said. “You have to advance through the sectionals and make the top teams in the district tournament. In the Central District D-II the Girls division advances three teams to the state championships, while the boys division only has two teams to advance. The boys cut line and margin for error is thin. They really have to be on top of their whole bowling game that day. Should be an exciting season. I look for the boys to be a very good team by tournament time and be surprise to a lot teams.”

]]>http://plaincity-advocate.com/sports/4685/alder-boys-ready-to-go/feed0Flames aiming for league crownhttp://plaincity-advocate.com/sports/4684/flames-aiming-for-league-crown
http://plaincity-advocate.com/sports/4684/flames-aiming-for-league-crown#respondSat, 03 Dec 2016 14:00:29 +0000http://plaincity-advocate.com/?p=4684The Shekinah Christian School boys basketball team feasted from beyond the three-point arc a year ago. The Flames had a number of players capable of making shots from deep. The squad however didn’t have a whole lot in the middle.

Coach Keith Lambert’s team will continue to fire away from a distance this season, but the team may have a little more punch on the interior.

“We will need to replace point production from three of our top four scorers last year,” the coach said. “Jesse Showalter (graduation), Trevor Headings (graduation) and Connor Bjerke (transfer to Texas). However, I feel like we have a good, balanced approach to our offense and have several guys who can get hot at any time. I’m most interested in seeing how much our rebounding will be improved, which is something we are focusing on early this season.”

The Flames offensive production will be based again on volume shooting from three-point range. With a number of solid shooters back in the mix the team will let it fly.

“We return seven players with significant varsity experience,” Lambert said. Chris Conte (the team’s lone senior this year) was leading the area in three-point percentage and he finished the season at just under 50 percent. We shot nearly 40 percent from (three-point range) and made just under 10 (three-point shots) per game, which I believe led the area in all divisions (over 110 teams), so hopefully we can approach those numbers again this year.”

This season Shekinah Christian joins the Mid-Ohio Christian Athletic League (MOCAL). Other teams in the league include Delaware Christian, Gahanna Christian, Granville Christian, Madison Christian, Northside Christian and Tree of Life Christian.

A year ago the Flames had tremendous success against the two teams who won the league. They beat Delaware Christian by 19 and Gahanna Christian by 24 points last season.

“Although the MOCAL appears to be stronger this year, we are still pushing for a chance at the conference championship,” the coach said. “Our team goal is to advance to district final and I think winning a second straight sectional championship is an attainable objective.

“With only one senior on the roster it would be easy to look ahead toward next year, but our team is ready to go now and is eager to establish ourselves in the MOCAL.”

]]>http://plaincity-advocate.com/sports/4684/flames-aiming-for-league-crown/feed0The only contest I really win each yearhttp://plaincity-advocate.com/news/religion/4683/the-only-contest-i-really-win-each-year
http://plaincity-advocate.com/news/religion/4683/the-only-contest-i-really-win-each-year#respondSat, 03 Dec 2016 14:00:24 +0000http://plaincity-advocate.com/?p=4683I am somewhat of a competitive person, in some degree. I like a good challenge and I certainly like to win. Going up against the Gracious Mistress of the Parsonage has not been a successful competition. Even when she loses, so to speak, she wins. When she wins, I also win, so why should I complain?

The contest at this time of the year is to see how much money these ladies of the parsonage can save. I have not kept track over the years for obvious reasons, so I do not know who is ahead and who is behind.

I would not say that they were shopaholics, but I am pretty sure they are. From my point of view, I am in no position to challenge them on this serious addiction. To challenge them thusly, would require several weeks in a rehabilitation center for myself. Who wants to go there during the holidays?

It all begins with what is called “Black Friday.” I am not sure why it is called “Black Friday” because after it is all over my checkbook is in deep red.

They will start early in the morning and throughout the day they will come home to unload and boast to me about how much money they saved. Then, off they go back on the shopping trail. For my part, I would never want to stand between them and their shopping destination because, I just have grown accustomed to living.

Halfway through the shopping season, my wife and I were sitting in the living room drinking our evening coffee and she was explaining to me her shopping plan. The more she talked the less I understood. I did not know you needed a plan to go shopping. My plan is very simple, do not go shopping.

The biggest challenge is to try to out save her two daughters. They have been taught by the best and yet I am not sure they have ever beaten her in this one contest.

When there was a little lull in the conversation, I sneaked a the little question of my own.

“How much,” I queried as seriously as possible, “have you saved so far in your shopping?”

I thought it was rather an innocent question to present at the time.

“How much,” she said with a very serious look. “I saved over $300 so far.” With that, she set back in her chair and smiled. Three hundred dollars is a lot of money you have to admit.

Then I pop this one, “How much have you spent so far?”

After some thought and a quick look into her checkbook, she came up with the figure, $700.

She informed me that her savings were almost half of what she spent.

There was a moment when I was tempted to challenge this contest by saying, “Well, I saved $700 by not shopping.”

On second thought, would it be worth it? Sometimes it is better to concede and have everybody happy, than to win and be the only one that is happy.

Solomon understood this when he wrote, “A fool uttereth all his mind: but a wise man keepeth it in till afterwards.” (Proverbs 29:11).

Rev. James L. Snyder is pastor of the Family of God Fellowship, 1471 Pine Road, Ocala, FL 34472. He lives with his wife, Martha, in Silver Springs Shores. Call him at 1-866-552-2543 or e-mail jamessnyder2@att.net. His website is www.jamessnyderministries.com. The church website is www.whatafellowship.com.

]]>http://plaincity-advocate.com/news/religion/4683/the-only-contest-i-really-win-each-year/feed0Healthy eating: The gift that keeps on givinghttp://plaincity-advocate.com/opinion/columns/4681/healthy-eating-the-gift-that-keeps-on-giving
http://plaincity-advocate.com/opinion/columns/4681/healthy-eating-the-gift-that-keeps-on-giving#respondSat, 03 Dec 2016 14:00:18 +0000http://plaincity-advocate.com/?p=4681My grandchildren are coming for an extended visit over the holidays. I’ve been concerned about some of their eating habits, but as their grandma, I don’t want to make a big deal about it. What are some subtle things I can do while they’re here to encourage them to eat a little better?

What a great grandma! You deserve kudos for noticing potentially damaging eating habits developing in your grandchildren and caring enough to nudge them in a healthier direction.

Here are some ideas to try from youth nutrition specialists with Ohio State University Extension:

• Adopt a “water first for thirst” policy. When the grandkids ask for something to drink, pour a nice big glass of ice water for them instead of high-sugar soft drinks or other beverages. Experts generally recommend children 4-8 years old drink 4 cups of water a day (without added sweeteners), and that increases to 7-8 cups for ages 9-13, and 8-11 cups for ages 14-18. For teens, that translates into drinking enough water to fill a 2-liter bottle. Lowfat (unflavored) milk also is a nutritious option. However, limit 100 percent fruit juice to less than 8 ounces a day, and avoid sweetened drinks altogether. Consider dressing up water by adding strawberry and orange slices or cucumber slices and mint.

• Start a tradition of making healthful smoothies for breakfast or an afternoon snack. Just pack the blender full of fruit, such as bananas, strawberries, pineapple, peaches or mandarin oranges, plus ice cubes, yogurt and juice. You could even add fresh spinach for green smoothies. No need for extra sugar or ice cream. For thicker smoothies, try using frozen fruit.

• Speaking of fruits and vegetables, keep a good variety on hand and make it as easy as possible for your grandchildren to eat. Depending on how old your grandchildren are, try slicing fruits and vegetables into bite-size pieces. In one study, younger elementary-school students said they found whole fruit to be too cumbersome to eat comfortably, and started eating much more of it when fruit was sliced for them. For preschoolers, be sure to cut grapes and cherry tomatoes in half before serving to be sure they aren’t a choking hazard.

• While you’re at it, double up on vegetables both for snacks and during meals — most children don’t eat nearly enough. For snacks, consider having a large clear bowl in the fridge with ready-to-eat baby carrots, celery sticks, bell pepper strips, cucumber slices, and broccoli and cauliflower florets.

• Pay special attention when you’re eating out, when it’s very easy to overconsume empty calories. Try to steer them away from fried and breaded foods, even fried fish, chicken and vegetables. If french fries or potato chips come with a meal, ask if it’s possible to substitute a salad, fruit or soup.

Steer young visitors — and older ones, too — to healthier eating habits such as making water the drink of choice, eating veggies as snacks and saying “no” to fried food.

http://plaincity-advocate.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/web1_Chowlinehealthycol.jpgSteer young visitors — and older ones, too — to healthier eating habits such as making water the drink of choice, eating veggies as snacks and saying “no” to fried food. Contributed photo